I Tried the “Supermodel Facial”—and It Gave Me an Ethereal Glow

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I’m 5’3” on a tall day and have a weakness for potato chips and a tendency to wear Vans more than stilettos. So, yeah, I’m clearly not a supermodel, nor do I have the desire to walk down a glittered runway wearing wings made out of miscellaneous crafting materials. I’d still like to have the enviable skin of a runway model though. That desire brings me to the Upper East Side atelier of celebrity facialist Georgia Louise. Louise is known for her high-tech facials that deliver immediate and dramatically radiant results. And who doesn’t love immediacy and radiance when it comes to skin?

Lying horizontally on a treatment bed, an expert esthetician walked me through the exact facial given to supermodels so famous they only go by their first names: Bella, Gigi, and Kendall. Louise’s “Angel Facial” utilizes micro-currents, radio frequency, LED lights, and galvanic currents. The active ingredients are hyaluronic acid and purslane (a plant with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant results), which is focused on hydrating, plumping, lifting, and glowing with no downtime—and I’m all about all those vibrant superlatives. This treatment uses a heavy dose of tech, but don’t let that scare you off—most of these devices are available in at-home forms now.

For those playing along at home, here is exactly the order Louise used for this treatment, and how you can mimic this facial for your next big event.

Mask

Louise purposefully chooses one with extra hydration benefits, versus exfoliating. She uses Dr. Barbara Sturm Face Mask, which is beloved by editors and celebrities alike and will help prep skin for future hydrating steps. Feel free to sub in a different moisture-boosting mask too. Allow it to sit for 10 to 20 minutes before gently washing it off.

Tech Time

Time for some magic via high-tech devices. For those needing an extra lift or tightening, Louise uses a microcurrent device, like NuFace (Louise’s in-office device is more powerful, but you’ll still get great results with this at-home option). If you need to reduce inflammation or blemishes, head for LED lights, like Lightstim for Acne (the same device used in the image above). Most of the devices suggest treatments lasting between 15 to 20 minutes.

Courtesy of Skin Gym

Massage

This part of the facial is very relaxing but still super effective: The whole point of this massage is to drain puffiness and contour the face. Louise uses her signature rose quartz Lift & Sculpt Butterfly Stone to contour cheekbones, brows, and the jawline (she gives easy-to-follow instructions with the stone). You can also use any type of gua sha stone to contour and lift. Check out this gorgeous Skin Gym option.

Courtesy of Georgia Louise

Deep GLO

At this point, you’re glowing, but let’s take it a step further. Louise uses one last tech device on the supermodels, her GLOPulse, which launched in mid-2018 and is already a best seller. It uses galvanic currents to allow active ingredients to deeply penetrate while stimulating blood circulation and refining pores. “Fine lines and wrinkles can also be from dehydrated skin, so using devices and products, like the GloPulse, will hydrate and plump the skin, taking years off your face,” says Louise.

You’ll put on a sheet mask and place the GLO device on your cheekbones. There isn’t much of a substitute for this device, but it’s worth the splurge. You can customize the galvanic currents to target dryness, wrinkles, or acne. The GLO will shut off after 20 minutes, so in the meantime, you’ve got 20 minutes to chill.

Courtesy of Tarte

Finish

Massage in the extra serum from the sheet mask into your skin, and Louise uses Dr. Barbara Sturm Glow Drops to give a nice shimmer to the top of cheekbones. It also hydrates and treats skin with purslane and sweet almond oil, so your skin will glow naturally over time too. This is one of Dr. Sturm’s most beloved products, and it’s totally worth the price tag. But you could also use Tarte’s Radiance Drops for a quick fix. Massage a moisturizer, like Weleda Skin Food on afterward, and voila, you’ve got that runway glow.

Photography by Cody Guilfoyle

The result after the hour-long “Angel Facial”? I still wasn’t a supermodel, but damn did my skin radiate. A contoured, long-lasting, super-hydrated type of glow; the kind of glow strangers on the street felt compelled to comment on. My version of a glittered runway was the UES sidewalk I proudly strutted down après-treatment. Surprisingly, I’ve implemented a lot of tips and products into my weekly Sunday masking routine. I heavily rely on my microcurrent device, a ZIIP specifically, which contours my cheekbones to Bella heights, and also the GLOPulse for seriously the most hydrating sheet mask I’ve ever encountered. I’ve also added the Glow Drops and Anti-Pollution Drops to my morning routine right before I massage on five drops of Odiele oil. You can practically see me radiating through the computer screen, right?